No, the Postal Service Is Not 'Hoarding' Ammunition

The U.S. Postal Service is buying up a ton of bullets as part of a governmentwide conspiracy to limit the amount of ammunition available to the general public.

That would be a great lede. Unfortunately, it’s not true.

Conservative websites like Newsmax and Breitbart publishedstories last week implicitly asserting that claim. Newsmax quoted a gun advocate, who said the government is violating Second Amendment rights “via the back door by limiting the ammo available to owners.”

The story went viral, and the Postal Service decided it had to respond.

USPS has a law enforcement component. That component purchases ammunition sometimes. End of story, said agency spokesman Dave Partenheimer.

“The U.S. Postal Service is not hoarding ammunition,” Partenheimer said in a statement posted to the agency’s website. Instead, the Postal Service Inspection Service -- a “highly specialized, professional organization, which performs primary investigative and security functions essential to a stable and sound postal system and the security of the U.S. mail” -- is buying ammunition for various training and duty needs.

So, relax; there will still be plenty of bullets to fend off the imminent robot uprising.